Tobacco looper



R. ANDERSON TOBACCO LOOPER Oct. 9, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 24, 1947 n N gvwmo'v, Roy Andersom Patented Oct. 9, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TOBACCO LOOPER Roy Anderson, Harnett County, N. 0. Application June 24, 1947, Serial No. 756,767

9 Claims. (Cl. 214-5.5)

In preparing tobacco for the market, the tobacco is brought from the field in the green state, strung on sticks, and hung in a tobacco barn where it is cured by artificial heat. It takes about a week to cure out a barn. About six hundred sticks of tobacco are hung in a barn about sixteen feet square and fourteen feet high. The barn is fitted inside with tier poles, set about four feet apart and arranged in rooms so that the tobacco rests in layer above layer, extending from about six feet above the floor to the caves of the barn. The tobacco is strun on the sticks in bunches of about three leaves to the bunch. The bunches, called hands, are arranged about sixteen hands on either side of a stick. The conventional method is to place a stick in a horse, i. e., a frame that support the ends of the stick. Ordinary wrapping string is used, and the hands are secured to the stick by making a turn or wraparound the stems.

My invention has to do with the securing of the hands together and to the stick, and it has for its objects:

1. To provide a simple, inexpensive apparatus for looping the cord about the hands and locating the hands on the stick.

2. To provide a tobacco looper by whose use the hands are so held on the stick that, no matter how the stick is held in transferring it from the looper to the tier poles, the tobacco will remain on the stick.

3. To provide a means to secure the hands to the stick in such position that the lower ends of the hands are held out away from the stick so that heat is permitted to pass through them and thus effect a better cure than with other methods of looping.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects, my invention resides in the novel features of construction, combinations, and arrangements of parts, which will hereinafter be described in detailand will then be specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tobacco looper embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of a poraim of the same, looking in thedirection of the.

arrow a in Fig. 1, and with the cross arm rotated 90 from the position shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation of a portion of the looper, looking in the direction of the arrow b in Fig. 1, and on the same scale as Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is-a cross section on the line 4-4 of.

Fig. 1.

2 Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail section of one form of cordtensioning means that may be used in my apparatus. Y

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the kind of loop that can be made by the use of my invention.

In the drawings, in which like numerals and letters of reference indicate likeparts in all the figures, I represents a base board to which cross pieces or feet 2 and standards 3 and 4 are suitably secured. The standards 3 and 4 are each composed of a pair of parallel bars 3, 4 between whose upper ends is secured a saddle block 5. The standards 3 and 4 are suitably braced as at 6 and 7 respectively. The stick S is held in the V-shaped top end, 5 of the saddle blocks 5 by a spring latch 8 suitably mounted on the stand-- aid 3. r Tables 9, right and left sides, are mounted on the standards 3 and 4, on which the tobacco leaves may rest while the looping takes place.

A foot pedal IIJ lies between the bars 3 3 and 4 4 and is pivoted to the bars 3*, as at l I for a purpose presently to appear.

The posts 3 and 4 are spaced apart a suitable distance to hold the stick S, the post 3 being located adjacent one end of the base board I. Adjacent the other end of the base board I is a post l2, braced at l3, and secured to the adjacent foot 2.

Between the post [2 and standard 4 and adjacent post l2 are bearing ears 22, between which is pivoted, at 2|, a supporting post l4 having a shaft bearing l5. A pair of spaced pedal-guide bars l6 are held parallel to the post l4-by the blocks l8, l9 and 20 and support a second shaft bearing 11.

The pedal l0 projects between the bars 16 and has a suitable pivotal connection 21 to rack-rod 26 whose rack 26 engages a pinion 25 on a hollow shaft 24 that is mounted in the bearings 15 and IT. The post 14 and its carried parts are held in which two cord spools or bobbins 33 aresuiti; ably held. The cords C and C pass from the 3 bobbins 33 through cord-tensioning devices 3! that are located on the post Hi and from thence the cords pass through the hollow shaft 2 where they divide, one cord C passing through one tensioning device ti on the cross arm and through one eye lit, while the other cord C passes through the other tensioning device 3! on the cross arm and through the other eye 39.

The rack 26 and pinion are so designed that the shaft can turn through one revolution only, back and forth. To this end the movement of the pedal it is limited by suitably located stops secured between the bars i (see Fig. 1). A return spring 3t, secured to the pedal and anchored at 33 to the bars l6, returns the pedal to its elevated position with the cross arm 28 in vertical (normal) position.

Operation In operating my machine, two persons (called feeders) are provided, one at either side of the machine. The first operator (the feeder at one side of the machine) takes a tobacco stick and fastens strings or cords C and C to the stick about siX inches from one end. This is best done by knotting the ends of the cords or strings together and then making a noose over the end of the stick, thus providing a knot for the first hand of tobacco to rest against.

The stick is then placed on the standards 3 and i and the knotted end of the cord. and the stick are held down securely under the spring clamp or latch 8 so that proper ten. ion may be applied to the cord. The tensions should be so adjusted as to just hold the tobacco in place and keep the cords from flopping as the cross-arm turns.

The other operator (the feeder at the other side of the machine) now inserts a hand of tobacco and steps on treadle it. This causes cross arm 23 to make one complete revolution, thereby putting a twist on strings or cords C and C close up to the tobacco. The first mentioned operator (hereinafter called operator A) now inserts a hand, pushing it up tight against the first hand and the second mentioned operator (hereinafter called operator B) releases the treadle ill. Spring 3% causes the treadle to rise and thereby return cross 28 to its initial position, placing another twist on the strings and securing the second of the hands in place. These operations are repeated until the stick contains the desire-cl amount of tobacco. Opera ator B then pulls out enough string to tie the tobacco to the stick, breaks the string and hands the loose ends to operator A, who knots them together and gets the next stick ready while operator B finishes tying the string to the loaded stick.v

As operator B lifts the loaded stick from the. standards 3 and i, operator A inserts or places a new one in position.

By pivoting the cross arm to the shaft, provision is thereby made for the arm to give with any unusual strain on the strings and still hold both strings tight.

In adjusting the inclination of supporting post M it should be so tilted that the axis of shaft 24 will line up with the stick at latch 8 and the cross arm should lie normal to this axis, as shown in Fig. 1. Spring 23 should be adjusted so that its pull, will not be too strong. In case an operator, in feeding the machine, should strike one of the strings harder than the other or thrust his hand in. hard enough to cause the strings to pull through the guides, the spring 23 should give and permit the cross arm to swing forward and ease the strain. This arrangement holds the strings at the proper tension, where otherwise a violent move on the part of an operator could cause one or both strings to feed through the tensioning devices and become slack and catch on the tobacco stick.

V/hile I have shown and described my machine as manually operated by foot pedal, it is possible for it to be motor driven by inter-posing any suitable known means for translating the rotary motion of the motor into reciprocating motion in rod 26, all Without exercising more than mechanical skill.

While I have shown the arm 28 as pivoted to the shaft 23, the arm could be made fast to the shaft 2 4 although it probably would not operate as satisfactorily as the pivoted arm. Furthermore the spring tension device 3| on one side of the arm for one of the strings can be omitted and the corresponding spring tension device 3! on the post made to perform the required tension. In other words, for each string one tension device 3! on the post and one tension device on the can be employed and adjusted so that the tensions on the two strings will be equalized, though I prefer to use the two sets of tension devices as shown.

Other modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

From the foregoing description, taken in con nection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought that the construction, operation and advantages of my invention will be clear to those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

1. In a tobacco looper, a support, a stick holder mounted on said support, a rotatable shaf mounted on said support adjacent one end of said stick holder and carrying a cross arm having a pair of spaced-apart string guides, two string bolobins carried on said support, whose strings are passed through said string guides respectively, the free ends of the strings bein adapted to be tied at a place remote from said-cross arm to a stick held in said stick holder, and means for imparting 36G oscillations to said shaft.

2. In a tobacco looper, a stick holder, a stick insaid holder, two strings one end of each of which being tied to one end of said stick, means to hold said strings lengthwise of said stick and separated to receive between them hands of tobacco, and means to turn said strings back and forth about one another after each hand is inserted between the strings to secure the hands together on said stick.

3. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins in said holder, the cords from which are passed through saidhollow shaft, and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, and means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 366 back inthe reverse direction alternately to twist.

the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords.

4. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins in said holder, the cords from which are passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, and tables located at each side of said standards and adjacent the stick supported on the standards to hold the tobacco leaves while the looping operation continues.

5. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins in said holder, the cords from which are passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to end is farthest from said cross arm, means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction, alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, means pivotally mounting said upright support on said base, and spring means holding said upright support in an inclined-toward-the-stick position.

6. In a tobacco looper, base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure'a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins in said holder, the cords from which are the end of a stick, which passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, a stationary post, a spring connection between said stationary post and said upright support, and means pivoting said upright support to said base.

'7. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins i said holder, the cords from which are passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, and means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, said cross arm being pivoted to said shaft.

8. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft and having cord guides at its ends, a cord holder on said upright support, two cord bobbins in said holder, the cords from which are passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, said cross arm being pivoted to said shaft, means pivotally mounting said upright support on said base, and spring means holding said upright support in an inclined-toward-the-stick position.

9. In a tobacco looper, a base, two stick-receiving and holding standards mounted in spaced relation on said base, means to secure a stick in place on said standards, an upright support mounted on said base in line with and spaced from said standards, a hollow shaft mounted in bearings in said upright support, a cross arm on said shaft, said cross arm having cord guides, a cord holder mounted on said upright support, two cord-carrying bobbins in said holder, the cords from which bobbins are passed through said hollow shaft and, respectively, through said cord guides, means securing the ends of said cords to the end of a stick, which end is farthest from said cross arm, means to turn said shaft first 360 in one direction and then 360 back in the reverse direction alternately to twist the cords together between each two hands of tobacco placed between the cords, said cross arm being pivoted to said shaft, means pivotally mounting said upright support on said base, spring means holding said upright support in an inclined-towardthe-stick-position, and cord tensioning devices carried by said upright support in a position to engage said cords after they leave the bobbins.

ROY ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 311,169 Bell Jan. 2'7, 1885 1,055,664 Schneider Mar. 11, 1913 1,337,786 Mitchell Apr. 20, 1920 2,131,656 Dinkins Sept. 27, 1938 

